Shipping Information

Shipping Costs

To view a breakdown of an order’s shipping costs, select your shipping destination and desired shipping method while viewing your Petstore.com shopping cart. All shipping charges are then automatically calculated within the shopping cart so you can view the cost of shipping the item and the grand total (merchandise + shipping costs).

Standard Ground Shipping Costs

We offer $5.99 flat-rate shipping via UPS ground for most orders shipped within the contiguous United States. Most orders over $75 also qualify for free shipping. Some exclusions apply. Read our Free Shipping Promotion section for details. If you have any questions about shipping, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

For UPS Ground shipments within the contiguous United States, standard shipping costs are as follows:

If Your Order Totals:

Shipping Will Be:

Up to $74.99

$5.99

$75.00 or more

FREE

Shipping Insurance*

Shipping insurance is included in the shipping costs for orders totaling $74.99 or less. Orders which total $75 or more are charged a rate of $0.35 per $100 increment for standard ground shipping. Please note that shipping insurance charges are not waived during Petstore.com FREE shipping promotions.

Special Handling for Ground Shipments

Special handling charges (when applicable) are noted on individual product pages and also displayed in the Petstore.com shopping cart. Special handling is a surcharge applied when orders contain heavy or large merchandise (chillers, sand, salt and water pumps each have separate special handling surcharges; many fluorescent light bulbs also carry special handling charges). Please note that special handling costs are not waived during Petstore.com FREE shipping promotions and that these charges are in addition to the Standard Ground Shipping Costs listed above.

PetStore.com FREE Shipping Promotion

PetStore.com offers FREE standard ground shipping via UPS on orders of $75 or more for orders containing non-sale items (orders which do not qualify for our FREE shipping promotion will still be shipped at a discounted rate). All orders, including those that qualify for our FREE shipping promotion, are subject to shipping insurance charges at the rate of $0.35 per $100.00 increment for orders shipped via UPS ground service (a minimum of $0.35 per box will be charged for insuring shipments).

Terms and Exclusions

Offer valid only on orders shipping within the contiguous United States. Orders sent to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam or other US Territories will not qualify for this promotion.

PetStore.com’s FREE shipping promotion does not include products sent in oversized or particularly heavy boxes. This may include but is not limited to chillers, external water pumps, metal halide magnetic ballasts, DIY kits and substrate/sand. These items may still be subject to additional shipping insurance and special handling charges. Should shipping surcharges apply, they will be noted on individual product pages and also displayed in the PetStore.com shipping cart. We will, however, pay a portion of the shipping charges for these orders.

Shipping surcharges, such as shipping insurance and special handling are NOT covered under the PetStore.com FREE shipping promotion.

Fluorescent bulbs require special handling and packaging. Therefore, PetStore.com only ships fluorescent bulb orders containing a quantity of four (4) or more bulbs for FREE. Bulbs 46.5" and longer are shipped FREE only when six (6) or more bulbs are ordered.

Shipping charges for returned merchandise is non-refundable. Please read Petstore.com’s Return Policy for more information

These exclusions are necessary in order for us to be able to offer this type of promotion to our customers. We do our best to discount shipping as much as possible to make buying items from our online store easy and affordable

Delivery Methods

Most online orders placed before 2 PM EST Monday thru Friday are generally processed and shipped the same day. Online orders received after 2 PM EST will usually be processed the next business day. Backordered, drop shipped, custom-made and/or special ordered merchandise may take slightly longer to ship out. In the event of such a delay, a message will be prompted and displayed in your online shopping cart to alert your attention to any possible hold-up.

Petstore.com ships to the contiguous United States via UPS Ground and offers 2Day or Overnight service via FedEx Air. Orders shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico are sent via FedEx Air and may not include refrigerated/frozen merchandise or aquariums. Please note that Petstore.com does not ship to P.O. Boxes.

Saturday Delivery

Petstore.com offers flexible shipping options to make delivery as quick and easy as possible. If you need an order over the weekend, we proudly offer the ability to request Saturday delivery. Simply call our customer service department directly by dialing 1-714-361-6142 during regular business hours before you submit the order. Petstore.com orders are generally delivered on business days only (Monday thru Friday), so a shipping surcharge will be applied for Saturday delivery.

Freight Delivery

Recipient must be present to receive shipment and a delivery date can be scheduled with the freight company once the item is shipped. Items are typically delivered on a pallet with a lift gate and please be sure the necessary arrangements are made to receive the items. If you have questions about your delivery, please feel free to contact us.

Back-Ordered Items

Backordered merchandise will be noted as such in the Petstore.com shopping cart. When the backordered merchandise returns to inventory, it will be shipped via the shipping method you originally requested at no additional charge. Please note that shipping upgrades are available for backordered merchandise for a nominal fee. Please contact the Petstore.com customer service team at 1-714-361-6142 during regular business hours for more information.

Petstore.com will never purposely charge a customer for merchandise that we do not physically have in stock at the time of purchase. Occasional inventory discrepancies may occur due to inaccurate inventory counts or because the last few items on our shelves are damaged and/or not in a condition that we can, in good faith, sell to a customer. In that instance, we will ship the backordered merchandise as soon as it returns to inventory for no additional charge. Generally, when an item is backordered, we will only charge you for the items which we can ship immediately. Petstore.com then charges your debit/credit card for the remaining amount when the backordered merchandise returns to inventory and the rest of your order is processed and shipped.

Order Status &amp Tracking

Petstore.com understands the importance of being kept up-to-date with the status of an order. Thus we offer the ability to login to your Petstore.com account to check order status and acquire an ETA for delivery. After an order is sent from our warehouse, we will send you a shipping confirmation via email that includes applicable tracking information. To track an order once it has shipped, login to your Petstore.com account or visit UPS and FedEx, input the tracking numbers included in your shipping confirmation email. If you experience any trouble logging into your account, please click here for assistance or contact Petstore.com’s customer service department at 1-714-361-6142 during regular business hours.

Package Refusals

For leeway in case you change your mind about an order that has shipped and is already in transit, you have the option of refusing the delivery from the shipping courier. Please note, however, that if a shipment is refused and/or marked “return to sender” by UPS Ground and FedEx Air, you will be refunded the full amount less a twenty-five percent (25%) restocking fee. Should you choose to accept a partial order and refuse another package or packages, you will be refunded only for the items which are returned to our warehouse less a twenty-five percent (25% restocking fee).

Leaving Packages without Signature

Petstore.com will include your order’s tracking information in the shipping confirmation email we send out after your order leaves our warehouse. Or, in the case of international orders, the shipping courier will contact you directly. In either case, you may have the option to request delivery without the driver acquiring your signature. If you would like to request that the shipping courier drop your order off on your doorstep, please contact UPS (1-800-377-4877) or FedEx (1-800-GO-FEDEX) or directly to request that a signature release waiver be put on file for your shipping address. You also have the option to leave a note on your door the day that your order is scheduled for delivery requesting that the driver leave your package(s) without acquiring a signature. However, depending on individual circumstances, it is within the driver’s discretion of whether or not to leave the package(s) without a signature unless you file a signature release waiver prior to delivery.

Tracking Numbers

Tracking numbers for each day's shipped orders are automatically emailed in the evening. If a tracking number is not working, please give us a call at 1-714-361-6142 during normal business hours.

Missing Items

Please immediately inspect the contents of your shipping boxes, including packing material for smaller products, upon delivery of your order. If you notice that any items are missing, please review your invoice to determine if there are additional packages still in transit or if the missing items are on backorder. If the missing items are still in transit, you may track them online with the tracking numbers sent to you in the shipping confirmation email or by contacting UPS Ground (1-800-377-4877) or FedEx (1-800-GO-FEDEX). In the rare instance that an item is actually missing from your shipment or unaccounted for (i.e. no tracking number), please contact Petstore.com’s customer service team within 72 hours of delivery so that we may take appropriate action. This may include but is not limited to tracing packages, filing a claim with the shipping courier(s) and/or sending an entirely new package to your shipping address with the missing item(s) enclosed.

Damaged Items

We seldom deliver damaged merchandise but it does happen, albeit infrequent. In the rare instance that you are sent a physically damaged product, Petstore.com will happily replace the dinged and/or broken item(s) to ensure your complete satisfaction. If your Petstore.com delivery arrives damaged, please contact us immediately for resolution. You may also reach us via email by sending a message detailing your circumstances to [email protected] (be sure to include your order number). Please note, however, that you must contact us within 72 hours of delivery so that we may take appropriate action. In most instances, Petstore.com will file a damage claim with the shipping courier: UPS, FedEx or UPS Ground (1-800-377-4877) or FedEx (1-800-GO-FEDEX).

International Shipping

International orders are processed and shipped a bit differently than orders sent within the contiguous United States. Please reference the shipping table below and continue reading afterward for terms, conditions and general things to keep in mind.

Location

USPS

International Express

International Standard

Canada

N/A

2-5 Business Days

3-5 Business Days

Guam

N/A

N/A

N/A

Alaska, Hawaii

N/A

2-3 Business Days (2nd Day)1-2 Business Days (Next Day)

3-5 Business Days

Puerto Rico

N/A

1-3 Business Days

3-5 Business Days

Other Countries

N/A

2-5 Business Days

N/A

Orders not shipped within the contiguous United States—the 48 U.S. states on the North American continent south of Canada plus the District of Columbia—are considered international orders. International orders are not eligible for PetStore.com’s free shipping promotion and additional surcharges may apply. It is important to note that not all products we carry can be shipped internationally. Aquariums, light bulbs, lamps, quartz sleeves and refrigerated/frozen foods cannot be shipped outside the United States. We apologize for any inconvenience.

International customers may purchase from PetStore.com using Visa, MasterCard, American Express Discover and PayPal for orders up to $1000. Any brokerage fees, tariffs and/or taxes will be billed to you directly by the shipping courier. International customers placing their first order with us must fax or email a copy of the front and back of their credit card along with a copy of a photo ID that has the billing address printed on it. This is a precautionary measure to protect you and our company from fraudulent activity.

International customers must use the same billing and shipping address. If you are an international customer and would like your order sent to an alternate address, you must first contact your credit card company and request that they add the alternate shipping address to their records or you can pre-pay for the order using PayPal or a bank wire transfer. All first-time international orders over $1000 must be paid via bank wire transfer. We will email you the wire transfer information after you’ve placed the order.

Drop-ship and special ordered merchandise can require an additional 3-4 weeks for delivery. Overweight and/or oversized merchandise may be subject to additional shipping charges. Some products are available in 220/240V configurations; please contact us for pricing and details.

Customers are solely responsible for any shipping charges incurred when sending back defective merchandise including but not limited to brokerage fees, taxes and tariffs. Warranties for some products are handled directly by the manufacturer. Please click here for details.

NOTE: Please contact your country’s Customs Department for current regulations regarding the importation of the items you intend to order. Some countries require you to obtain a permit before importing certain products, such as foods, additives and test kits. All orders and portions thereof returned to PetStore.com will be considered refused packages and automatically assessed a 25% restocking fee.